Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Five
by Noggins
Summary: Destroyer Droids on Coruscant? Who you gonna call - Anakin, Leia and Keylar, that's who!


Title: Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Five  
  
Author: Jonathan Evans  
  
Author email: noggins@btinternet.com  
  
Summary: Destroyer Droids on Coruscant? Who you gonna call - Anakin, Leia and Keylar, that's who!  
  
Author's Note: I apologise for how late this chapter was but I was suffering from severe writer's block. Things should be back on track soon...  
  
REPUBLIC SAGA  
ALLIANCES  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
Lando slowly began to come to and opened his eyes. Two people were  
looking down at him. As his blurred vision cleared he saw it was  
Narril and one of the rebels - a young Quarran. He started to stand  
up but his brother stopped him. "Don't get up just yet. We're trying  
to clean your wound."  
Lando looked at his shoulder where a bloody hole was being patched  
up with a piece of cloth. It wasn't hurting anymore - just worryingly  
numb. "What happened?" he asked as the custom made bandage was completed.  
"Commander Jaszz got cold feet and left us to deal with the Imps,"  
the rebel said. "We managed to get out on a taxi that was hovering  
below us. I don't know what would've happened if it hadn't been there.  
They're still looking for us but I think we may have only just escaped  
with our lives."  
  
Lando moved his arm around. Despite the lack of feeling he could  
still use it. He grabbed his blaster from the holster, span in on  
his finger and put it back in again. "Everything seems fine," he  
commented before checking out his surroundings. They were in some  
kind of docking bay. A droid was inspecting a taxi - obviously the  
one they'd escaped on. It kept shaking its head and commenting on  
how civilians abuse public transport. "Looks like our only means  
of travel is out of action."  
"It took quite a few shots," Narril pointed out. "We're lucky  
it's still in one piece. More or less."  
  
One of the human rebels came towards them with an R2 astromech  
droid closely following it. It activated a holographic image  
of Coruscant with red dots in various areas indicating shield  
generators. The human began to talk. "As you can see, these  
are the generators covering the planet. We've had a chance to  
get some more research done and we now know which are the least  
protected."  
  
Lando sat upright and looked at the projection. The nearest  
seemed to be on the other side of the planet. "They should  
have got reinforcments there by now," he said. "Or if they  
haven't they will have by the time we get there."  
"Actually no," was the reply. "Our bombs on the museum had an  
effect we'd never have imagined. It knocked out a communication  
post which may give us more time."  
"Then I suggest we make the most of that."  
  
*********  
  
With their lightsabers ignited, Leia and Anakin deflected the  
blasts coming from the destroyer droids. Keylar blasted at  
them but the shots were blocked by the in-built deflectors  
that they were projecting. Leia pushed two of the droids back  
into each other with the Force. They stumbled giving her  
time to rush forward and slice through the shields, cutting  
their heads off. "I suggest we make the most of this! Come on!"  
  
She headed down the corridor first and was followed by her  
father and the Mandalore ambassador who hacked and blasted  
their way through the confused droids.  
  
The distraction didn't last long and soon the droidekas were  
bounding after them. "We don't have time for this," Keylar  
exclaimed as he fired back, hitting a metal girder. It  
collapsed onto one of the droids, crushing it beyond  
recogniton.  
  
"I know that," Anakin replied. He came to a halt when a door  
just ahead opened and more of the metal beasts came piling out,  
both droidekas and battle droids. "How many of these things are  
there?" he asked, half to himself and half to his companions.  
Leia jumped upwards and grasped onto a hook coming down  
from the ceiling. She swung over the incoming arm and landed  
behind them. With her lightsaber ready she cut through the  
door that had only recently been open.  
"Oh no."  
"What is it?" Keylar asked as he blasted two battle droids down.  
"It's like they're recycling these things!"  
  
She entered the room and examined a massive construction  
droid that was piling spare parts into one of its cavities.  
At the other side fully constructed battle ready war  
machines were coming out. It was only warming up - recovering  
after decades out of use but now their attack had caused it  
to reactivate and begin production again. Their time in the  
control room had given it more than enough to create a  
veritable army.  
"I really don't like the look of this," she continued as a  
battle droid activated and began walking towards her. She  
sliced it down before it could reach for its blaster.  
"We have to do something quickly!"  
  
Anakin and Keylar got through the remains of the door. "How  
are we supposed to close this thing?" Keylar asked with  
worry in his voice. "They can easily get through this hole!"  
"Watch," the elder Skywalker smiled. He moved his hand and a  
large scrap of metal flew from the floor and covered the  
entrance. The Jedi closed his eyes and concentrated more.  
Slowly the two separate pieces melded together as if they  
were one. He smiled. "Looks like my powers really are returning.  
I never expected it to take over twenty years, but..."  
His attenrion turned to Leia and Keylar who were battling the  
droids. "Take out the machine!"  
"It has a shield generator. Not even my lightsaber can  
penetrate it."  
  
Anakin thought back to all that Yoda had taught him. The  
saber would always aid a Jedi in his duties but he had to  
rely on the Force above everything else. Anakin walked  
forward slowly somehow managing to avoid all of the blasts,  
deflecting them before they hit him. The generator morphed  
and seemed to develop a pathway through which Anakin walked.  
His daughter and the Mandalore watched in amazement as he  
struck out and forced his weapon through the control panel.  
  
The huge machine slowly stuttered before it finally deactivated.  
The remaining droid was able to make one last stand before  
a blast from Keylar's rifle took its head off. The body  
slumped to the floor with a crash. Anakin studied the remains.  
"Well, that was easier than I'd expected."  
Leia stood aghast. "You call that easy?"  
"For a Jedi, yes."  
"So what now?"  
"Now... we make our way to Thrawn's chamber. This way!"  
  
Anakin flung the door that he had only just repaired aside  
with a flick of the wrist and the trio re-entered the dark  
corridor. They stopped at the opening of a ventilation shaft.  
Leia grasped the edges tightly and ripped it off. "The only  
way seems to be up. And it'll be harder to detect us if  
we go this way."  
"Ventilation shaft, huh?" Anakin smiled. "Obi-Wan once told  
me he'd tried something like this on a Trade Federation vessel."  
"Nice to know we're following a Jedi tradition," Leia replied  
as she sniffed the air inside the shaft which was even staler  
than that where they were currently standing.  
"Who's first?"  
  
********  
  
Mara followed Darth Maul out of the throneroom and once they  
were far enough out of the range of Thrawn the Sith Lord  
stopped and turned around. "I don't know what you're playing,  
Emperor's Hand," he hissed. "But I do not think you are  
fully prepared to do as you have been commanded."  
"You don't seem to trust me," the woman said. "Or is it you're  
afraid I'll replace you as his closest confidante?"  
"Don't mock me. You are just a child who knows little of the  
Dark Side of the Force. I am a Dark Lord of the Sith!"  
"Strange... I didn't know Sith Lords spent forty years hiding  
away..."  
  
Mara's smile was wiped from her face as Maul grasped her throat  
and pushed her up against a wall. "I could kill you right now.  
I can easily do what you are supposed to. I can kill all of  
the Skywalkers!"  
"But..." Mara gasped. "That's not... what Thrawn... wants."  
Maul dropped her. "Yes. He wants the elder of the two. The  
one who was a boy when I saw him last. I doubt he has  
changed much."  
"You really don't know much," was the reply Mara gave as she  
massaged her throat. "He's the Chosen One."  
"The one who brings balance to the Force? While there are  
Sith in existance that will never be!"  
"If you keep getting thrown over buildings for me to save your  
skin there probably won't be any left!"  
  
Maul checked the newly repaired servos that were whirring inside  
his robotic torso. Yes, he was lucky that Jade had been there  
watching as he and the Imperial troops attempted to protect  
the shield generator but her current demeaning tone was not  
acceptable. "I was lucky... but I have survived worse without  
you."  
"Hence those wires holding your body together, I see."  
  
The Zabrak Sith growled quietly and began to walk further  
up the corridor. "You will not fulfil your promise to the  
Emperor and when that happens I will kill you..."  
"He's not the Emperor and you know that as well as I do.  
He's just some military commander who Palpatine seemed  
to prefer over you." Maul turned around. "That bugs you  
doesn't it? The fact that he ensured that Thrawn would  
take over from him even though you would have been a far  
better choice." The crimson skin on the Sith's face seemed  
to grow even redder with rage. Mara continued. "Someone  
who doesn't understand the Force like you - Palpatine's first  
apprentice - is given a position that means he can control  
you..."  
  
Maul's hands began to to twitch. "What are you trying to  
tell me?"  
"You hate Thrawn just as much as I do. If not more. No matter  
how much we hate each other we are still loyal to Palpatine.  
We must do something before he takes too much advantage of  
us."  
"You expect me to work with you to... kill Thrawn?" he said  
probing her mind carefully. That's exactly what she wanted.  
"Those are brave words but from what I saw of you with him  
you could not do it. His presence has control over you. It is  
you who are weak."  
"There is... something... stopping me but you don't have that.  
The reason you don't kill him is because you're afraid."  
"I am not afraid! I will strike the death blow. But only when  
my true master's last wishes are obeyed."  
  
********  
  
The Jedi Council on New Naboo sat in their seats and discussed  
their current situation. Things has grown tense in the last  
two days and despite their many attempts they could not  
get audience with Mon Mothma. Hela Zapalo tapped the arm of  
her chair. "Ackbar is the cause for all of this," she said.  
"We must deal with him before we can get to Mothma."  
"Hela," Adi Gallia replied. "You are starting to sound like my  
apprentice. This headstrong attitude should not be found in  
a member of the Council."  
"I apologise, Master Gallia but recent times have put a great  
strain on many people. You must remember that I witnessed the  
death of my planet knowing that I could not do anything while  
Palpatine's troops overran it. That will happen if Mothma  
takes the same path that he did."  
  
"I understand your fear," Kas Grendor continued. "But it is  
not possible to take the Chancellor from power. There is  
no one strong enough to replace her."  
There was silence. Everyone turned turned to Yarled as if  
they had sensed something. "Do you think she could?" Adi  
asked. "It would mean her giving up training and I cannot  
allow that."  
"Leia Skywalker has a history in politics. Her adopted  
father *was* the man who began the Alliance. She was the  
youngest member of the Imperial Senate before it was  
dissolved."  
"She is also the daughter of the most powerful Jedi in  
existence! She can bring the Jedi back together. A person  
can have many choices but only one destiny."  
  
Yarled nodded. "Yes. Indeed. But will she choose her destiny?"  
  
********  
  
Lando looked over the map for what must have been the hundredth  
time. He pointed at the area they were currently in and then  
at the final destination but not saying a word. He turned to  
his brother. "Think we can do it?"  
"With you in charge? Hell, we could do anything."  
"You're forgetting - you're me too!"  
"True..."  
"So," Lando pondered. "What would you do?"  
"Well, since we fried the last air taxi we're going to need  
another transport. I'd go for another of the same. There's  
so many of them we'd remain inconspicuous."  
"Good idea. We haven't much time so we'd better get to it  
fast." He turned to the Coruscant rebels with a smile on his  
face. "Hope one of you know the comm-channel for the nearest  
taxi rank 'cause we haven't got time to find the number at a  
cantina."  
  
********  
  
Anakin grasped the hand hold and pulled himself further upwards  
into the main levels of Emperor Thrawn's headquarters. He looked  
down to see Leia coming up behind him followed by Keylar who's  
heavy Mandalore armour was slowing him down. He turned his  
attention to what was ahead of him. There was going to be at  
least another twelve hours of climbing ahead of them. Thankfully  
the Force was with them, taking the fatigue away.  
  
"I'm getting to old for this," he muttered before remebering  
that Qui-Gon was a full fifteen years older than he was now  
when he fought a fully trained Sith and, he considered, fighting  
a Sith was a lot more difficult than climbing a ladder.  
  
"You're slowing down, father," Leia commented. "Is there something  
wrong?"  
Anakin shook his head. "No, no. I was just thinking back to when  
things were more complicated than they are now."  
"Ha!" Keylar exclaimed sarcastically.  
  
********  
  
Mara looked out over the Coruscsant skyline and sighed. She was  
slowly starting to get through to Maul but she knew that it was  
a mistake, just like the whole of her life had been. Palpatine  
had offered her hope as a child. Hope to live and let her powers  
flourish rather than be killed by Vader but that came with a price.  
She was his. She would have to obey his every command.  
  
Mara punched a wall as hard as she possibly could but felt nothing.  
The blood trickled from her knuckles and dripped onto the floor  
but there was no pain. The felt something behind her and whipped  
around, her hand resting on her lightsaber.  
  
"My, my. That's no way to treat a friend," Darth Maul smiled.  
"What are you doing here?"  
"Just making sure you're not wasting time that could be used  
tracking down Skywalker."  
"Then you've caught me out. This is pure unadultlerated time-  
wasting."  
"Then you'd better get to it before Thrawn realises what you're  
doing. You don't want to die before I can prove you wrong and  
finish you myself."  
  
Mara opened her mouth to reply but a pain shot through her head.  
She grasped her temples and staggered forward towards the end of  
the balcony. Her foot was first to go over the edge followed by  
the whole weight of her body. Maul moved forward and grabbed  
her hand, pulling her back up.  
  
"What is it?"  
"I know where Leia Skywalker is."  
"That is not of importance right now."  
"Her father is with her. That is what you want isn't it?"  
"Yes. And now you will go to kill him."  
"You're being trusting..."  
"Oh, I'm going with you to ensure you do as obeyed."  
  
Maul pushed her forcefully towards the entrance of the building.  
"You know where they are. I'll follow, but don't try anything..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED......... 


End file.
